Temperature-driven dynamics: unraveling the impact of climate change on cryptic species interactions within the Litoditis marina complex

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change and the associated increase in sea temperatures are projected to greatly impact marine ecosystems. Temperature variation can influence the interactions between species, leading to cascading effects on the abundance, diversity and composition of communities. Such changes in community structure can have consequences on ecosystem stability, processes and the services it provides. Therefore, it is important to better understand the role of species interactions in the development of communities and how they are influenced by environmental factors like temperature. The coexistence of closely related cryptic species, with significant biological and ecological differences, makes this even more complex. This study investigated the effect of temperature on species growth and both intra- and interspecific interactions of three species within the free-living nematode Litoditis marina complex. To achieve this, closed microcosm experiments were conducted on the L. marina species Pm I, Pm III and Pm IV in monoculture and combined cultures at two temperature treatments of 15 °C and 20 °C. A population model was constructed to elucidate and quantify the effects of intra- and interspecific interactions on nematode populations. The relative competitive abilities of the investigated species were quantified using the Modern Coexistence Theory (MCT) framework. Temperature had strong and disparate effects on the population growth of the distinct L. marina species. This indicates temperature could play an important role in the distribution of these cryptic species. Both competitive and facilitative interactions were observed in the experiments. Temperature affected both the type and the strength of the species interactions, suggesting a change in temperature could impact the coexistence of these closely related species, alter community dynamics and consequently affect ecosystem processes and services.